LIC Premature Withdrawal After 5 Years: What to Know

The truth is, life is precious than money. So, we understand you may have your reasons for LIC premature withdrawal after 5 years. However, it comes with several implications. Continue reading this article to know more. 

Understanding LIC Premature Withdrawal After 5 Years

Premature withdrawal in any life insurance policy (in this case LIC) implies a policyholder withdrawing his/her policy before maturity. For example, if a policyholder's LIC policy is supposed to mature after 20 years from the date of policy purchase and he/she decides to withdraw his/her policy after 5 years, it will be considered as premature policy withdrawal. 

How to Withdraw Your LIC Policy After 5 Years?

After the policyholder has decided to withdraw his/her LIC policy, he/she can visit the local branch office of LIC (the one from which you bought your policy) and fill out the policy withdrawal form. The form for surrender/ withdrawal can be downloaded from the official website of LIC as well. The form should be completed and sent to the company via its branch.

An insured need to submit the following documents in addition to the policy surrender/withdrawal form:

• NEFT form and bank details
• Initial policy record
• A canceled cheque
• Proof of age
• Identity proof
• Proof of address

After all the required documents are provided to the company, the underwriting department will scrutinize the documents. Once clear, the surrender amount will be transferred onto the policyholder's account in approximately 10 days.

Demerits of LIC Premature Withdrawal After 5 Years

As stated above, premature withdrawal of a LIC policy comes with several disadvantages. Mentioned below are the important ones:

• By withdrawing LIC policy, you have terminated your contract with LIC and your risk cover will cease to exist.
• You will only receive 30 percent of the premiums you have paid. This excludes premium payments made for the first year and bonuses. Additionally, it also excludes any extra premiums paid for riders, any miscellaneous LIC bonuses, or taxes. 
• If you buy the same insurance coverage in the future, you will be paying higher premiums to get the same benefits. This is because your age has increased and so is the chance of being covered for your entire life.

It should be noted that if your premiums are paid for more than three years and, because of unexpected circumstances, additional premium payments were not made, your policy will become paid up. The sum assured will decrease. 

A paid-up plan is void of the benefits that are added to the policy, such as double accident insurance and critical illness insurance.

For instance, if the policy tenure is 25 years with a sum assured as Rs.10 lakhs and the insured has paid for premiums for five years, then the amount assured of the paid-up policy will be decreased to Rs.2 lakhs. This type of canceled policy is known as a "paid-up" policy.

Summing It Wrap

Premature withdrawal of LIC policy after 5 years is not recommended as you will lose out on several tax benefits, life coverage, and rider benefits. Moreover, you will need to pay more premiums for the same policy if you decide to purchase it in the future. On the other hand, there can be some unavoidable circumstances in your life due to which you have to withdraw your policy. So, it is up to you to but think it through and then make an informed decision.

LIC Resources